Category: ‘Other Stuff’

I Never Click a Facebook Link

December 9, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Facebook Rant

I’m not the typical Facebook user.  I seldom sign on more than once a day, usually for less than twenty minutes.  I just check the news feed to see what kind of pickles my nieces are eating.  My friends list is about fifty people.  After each session, I log out and delete cookies.  This is to prevent Facebook from tracking me everywhere on the internet.

I don’t make make many posts.  Besides trying not to miss wishing birthday greetings and occasional (usually snide) comments, most of my posts are links to Snopes and other sites refuting many of the untruths posted on Facebook.  Of course, this educational policy of mine doesn’t stop too many people from continuing to share unsafe sites.

I’m not going to write a rant about how Facebook encourages people to share bogus fake prize sites, giveaway scams, fake videos, like farming scams, the ever present can I get 1000 shares or the many other scams.  If you do a search, you can find thousands of articles that other people have written and posted on the internet.

My Facebook policy is simple.  I don’t EVER click any links on Facebook.  If I see something that I’m curious about, I open another browser and do a separate search for it.  I will admit that I often chuckle when somebody posts that something wrong is with their computer, tablet, phone, etc.  It is obvious to me that they don’t follow my advice: DON’T EVER CLICK ON A FACEBOOK LINK.

I’m not even going to talk about how Facebook never posts ads that are false (assuming the Russian ads about our President were true).  Instead I’m going to upload a screenshot I recently made.  I’ve blacked out friends names in my feed.

You can see in my task bar calendar that this happened on December 2, 2017 at 6:33 am.  Do you notice the two sponsored ads in the upper right that are both telling me that Bill Cosby is dead?  The ads are from two different companies.  I checked out both sites.  They are both Spanish language.  One appears to be selling uniforms and the other interior decorations.  I suspect that the two ads urging me to learn more about Bill Cosby’s death might not be real.

Thank you Facebook for keeping me safe.

Screen Shot – Click to Enlarge

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Other Stuff

A Little Bit of Bragging – Originally Published September 2017

September 3, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s even hard for me to believe.  For some unknown reason, I’m having a hard time deciding on a topic to write about this month.  Everyone that knows me can tell you that I am seldom at a loss for words.  I have an opinion on almost every subject.

I keep an Evernote file with article ideas.  Whenever I get an idea for a future article, I make a note of it.  Now that I’m actually looking at the list, none of the topics seem to appeal to me.

I loaded my Whatchamacallit template file.  Then I opened my index list and looked at the blank subject line for September 2017.  All of a sudden, it hit me what I was going to write about.

This month, I’m going to brag a little bit.  If you find that you’re not interested, please go on to the next article in the newsletter.  I won’t be offended.  Heck, I won’t even know you didn’t read this article.

Way back in February 2009, what originally started as a one time article where I was complaining about all of the crap ware installed on a new computer, turned into a series of 90 diatribes.  That adds up to around 54,000 words or so.  I sure hope that I haven’t created too much wamble.

February must be a slow month for me.  In 2011, I sent the Newsletter Editor my first Mind Bender puzzle.  Everyone seems to like them as I get a lot of comments and suggestions for future flummoxes.  Looking back, I find it hard to believe that I’ve created 77 assorted mystifiers.

In May of that same year, so many people asked me about the KeePass password program that I wrote a review for the monthly newsletter.  From that humble beginning evolved a series of 44 Lagniappe articles with my reviews of free software.  Another 27,000 words or so of grandiloquence.

In January of last year, I started to run out of subjects to ramble about.  That was when I went to the Darkside and started to relate my experiences and thoughts on Android devices and apps.  I don’t know if I’ve managed to elucidate anything, but I’ve tried 26 times, another 14,000 words or so.

Add in a few Christmas poems and a couple of fill in for the President messages makes me think I’ve probably put way over 150,000 words in the Newsletter.  No wonder I hardly ever get time to post anything on the club web site.

I may have to take a sabbatical.  I could use a little rest.

That’s all of my thoughts for August.  My mind is empty again.  I hope I didn’t bore everyone too much.  Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags:
Categories: Other Stuff

Cyber Security Awareness II

October 30, 2016 Posted by Tiny

SWLAPCUG

SWLA Personal Computer Users Group

Skip to content
Advanced search

Quick links
FAQ
ACP
MCP
User avatar TinyJWRinLC
Private messages [0]
Notifications [0]

Home Portal Board index Everything Else
Post Reply
Advanced search
1 post • Page 1 of 1

User avatar
TinyJWRinLC
Site Admin
Posts: 425
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 4:11 pm
Location: In Front of a Computer

Thursday, October 20, I attended the Cyber Security Awareness Workshop at Port Arthur, Texas.  This was a follow up to the Cyber Security Awareness Kickoff held earlier in the month.

There were three discussions, each lasting an hour.  All of the speakers were extremely interesting and spoke their entire allotted time.  I took a few notes each session.

1. Real Cybercrimes – Detective Brian Cater, Port Arthur Police Department.

Detective Cater spoke mostly about internet scams that were actual cases in the city.  These were mostly the same scams we hear about nearly every day: phishing, website spoofing, lottery scams, online job listings, etc.  In recent years, victims have generally been older people.  In most cases, funds are lost and never recovered.  If you are a victim, suspect a scam or want to learn more, check the Internet Crime Complaint Center website.

As he ran out of time, his final tip was to create your Social Security Account if you haven’t already.  That way, no one else can create one using your identity.

2. Social Media – Javier Barajas, IT Support, City of Port Arthur.

Mr. Barajas gave an interesting talk on using social media.  The average person uses their cell phone 4.7 hours a day.  He talked about things to watch for and gave some great examples.  My personal favorite was a young lady that posted “guess who got a new credit card” and uploaded a picture of her new card.  One of the responses to her post was from someone that asked what the cvv number on the back of the card was. You can guess what happened.

Advice:
a. Watch what you post, once on the internet, it’s always there.
b. Don’t share your location.
c. Click “like” on Facebook may result in bad things – Many of these sites are data farming.
d. Check your social app privacy settings.  An internet search can prove useful.
e. Use two-step verification when available.
f. Use different e-mail addresses/user names for different sites.
g. Don’t use selfies as your avatar.
h. Don’t enable auto login.
i. Change your passwords frequently.
j. Close old accounts.
k. Think twice before clicking on links.

3. How to Configure Your Home Network – James Cammack, Instructor at Lamar College PA.

Mr. Cammack gave a great presentation on setting up and configuring your router.  He used an excellent analogy of comparing a router to the U.S. Post Office.  One delivers web pages to your computer and the other delivers mail to your house.  Both use addresses.

Advice:
a. Use WPA2 encryption.
b. Change your router password.
c. Hide your SSID.
d. Use guest network (or disable if you don’t want to share).

Mr. Cammack only had time to finish part of his presentation.  Hopefully, he will speak again next year.

I had another great day in Port Arthur and am looking forward to attending next years events.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Other Stuff

Cyber Security Awareness Month

October 8, 2016 Posted by Tiny

On October 6, I attended the 5th Annual Cyber Security Awareness Month Kickoff in Port Arthur, Texas.  There were four seminars, all free to the public.  I thought I would share a few notes and comments on my day.

1. The Internet of Things – was presented by Ira Wilsker of the Lamar Institute of technology.  He gave a presentation on the many home appliances, medical devices, security systems and other things that are all connected to the internet.  One of the many problems is that most of these things have no security and can be used as ingress points into your home network.  He also talked about how they can be used as remote bots for attacking web sites and used the recent Krebs on line site as an example.  I didn’t bother to note all the many items he talked about, but there were a few that I found interesting:

Johnson & Johnson warns insulin pumps can be hacked – many medical devices and systems are vulnerable, maybe even more so than driver less automobiles.

Connected Cattle – a farmer that has tagged all of his cattle with devices that monitor their health, feeding, etc.  It can even tell when the animals get pregnant.

IoT devices being increasingly used for DDoS attacks – a Symantec blog explaining how a Denial of Service attack works.

Sad reality: It’s cheaper to get hacked than build strong IT defenses – an excellent article by Iain Thomson that compares hacking defenses to the Ford Pinto formula.

2. NetSmartz – was presented by Detective Michael Nixon, Beaumont Police Department Special Victims Unit.  He talked about keeping safe from cyberbullying, on social media, etc.  Some notable links were:

Parents & Guardians – a section of the NetSmartz website with tips for caretakers of children.  There are also sections for educators, law enforcement, teens, tweens and kids.

CyberTipline – where you can report cyber crimes.

Suicide of Amanda Todd – a Wikipedia article about a fifteen year old girl who was cyber-bullied.  She posted a You Tube Video, and then committed suicide.

3. Security Today – was a presentation by Dell Computers and Wayport Business Solutions. They spoke about the SonicWALL Advanced Gateway Security Suite which is an advanced firewall.  They also briefly talked about Lightbeam, a web browser extension for keeping track of third party web sites that track your online activities.  (My research after the fact shows that the extension is only available for the Firefox browser.)

4. Cell Phone Forensics – was presented by Elie Van Horn of the Port Arthur Police Department.  He spoke about data found on cell phones and the methods used to find it.  He also spoke at length about how cell phones can be used to track you.  Some interesting links:

TeenSafe – an online service that can be used to put tracking software on phones.

StealthGenie – another tracking app.  My later research revealed that this app is no longer available because the creator has been jailed.

MobilStealth – still another tracking app.

So what did I learn from the seminar?  I had a passing knowledge of most of the items presented.  One thing I found the most interesting of the entire day was a website that was mentioned by the first and third speakers.  The final speaker started his presentation by stating how he was definitely going to check this site when he got home.

SHODAN, The Search Engine for the Internet of Things is exactly what it sounds like.  With it, you can search for things connected to the internet.

I really enjoyed the day and am looking forward to attending again next year.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Other Stuff

Wondering About Windows 10 – Originally Published July 2016

July 3, 2016 Posted by Tiny

Wondering About Windows 10
by Tiny Ruisch

I’ve been wondering!  As we get closer to July 29, there are so many things that might happen with the Windows 10 operating system.  The free upgrade will soon be coming to an end and I’m sure there will be more changes in the way Microsoft does business.  Here are some of my predictions.  Just like for the New Year, they probably won’t be too accurate.  It’s still fun to make them.

I think that Microsoft will magnanimously have a change of heart and continue to offer free upgrades to Windows 10.  Of course, if I’m right that also means that those of us choosing not to upgrade our operating systems will probably continue to receive pop up advertisements and other spam from Microsoft.  Another possibility is that instead of a free upgrade, there will be a heavily discounted price on upgrading.

I also predict that those of us who upgraded for free will finally have to start paying for the free by enduring more advertising.  Personally, I can live with this as long as they don’t get as nauseating as the “upgrade to Windows 10” campaign was.  In fairness, I should mention that Google seems to be sending me more ads on my Android phone.

One thing I am pretty sure will happen is that we will start seeing lots of rumors on various tech sites, news organizations and of course, Facebook.  I can see them in my mind.
1) Microsoft will start charging an annual subscription fee will probably be one.  That may eventually happen, but I don’t think it will on machines that were updated within the free time period.
2) Don’t take your laptop into the bathroom because Microsoft will be turning on the camera to check what brand of toilet paper you use.
3) They have also installed a key logger with the latest update.
4) Microsoft will start making Windows 7 updates more inconvenient to obtain.  I can imagine slower downloads so that you will want to upgrade for more speed.
I’m sure there will be many other rumors.

Do you think that Microsoft will continue to be as aggressive with updating as they have been the first year?  Security updates and new builds have been installing fairly frequently in the first year.  This has been one of their stated reasons for upgrading.  I wonder if the fast pace will continue after the grace period ends or will they revert to a massive monthly update on the first Tuesday?

I hope I’m wrong, but I’m going to make a prediction that Microsoft will do some nasty things in their future “mandatory” updates.  For instance, if they think that your favorite anti-virus software isn’t compatible with the operating system, they could just uninstall it.  By the way, don’t plan on installing any “unauthorized” hardware on your system.  You’ve agreed to let them do this if they want to.

There is only one thing that I don’t have to wonder about.  After July 29, we will find out what the cost of free is.  There will also be a lot of customer complaints that they wanted to upgrade to Windows 10 but weren’t able to.

Isn’t wondering fun?

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Other Stuff

Cruising 2016

January 20, 2016 Posted by Tiny

I’ve been cruising with the Mrs. again.  We usually do two or three a year.  I inevitably write a short article on my observations on how technology is used by both the cruise lines and the passengers reading their books.  This year, I initially started to write about how large screen cell phones really seemed to be more prevalent and how quite a few people had signed up for the ships satellite internet plan.  That all changed because of my shy, introverted personality.

Over a cup of coffee, I got to talking to a gentleman.  He mentioned that this was his eighty-second cruise.   I told him how much I liked to cruise but that it was unfortunately out of my budget to do that many.  He then related to me how he could do it only because of sheer luck.  It turns out that about ten years ago, he got an e-mail from a wealthy foreigner from Nigeria.  It seems that a new government had taken power and tied up all of his funds.  The only way he could reclaim them was to transfer them overseas.  The fellow I met simply had to provide an active banking account for the funds to be transferred to. He also had to initially send a few thousand dollars to bribe some dishonest officials.  For providing the service, he received several million dollars.

Just a few days later, I met a surgeon that told me the strangest tale.  It seems that he was on a cruise that pulled into port.  He had to cancel the remainder of his vacation and immediately fly back home.  It turns out that there was a little girl that needed a life saving operation.  He had agreed to do it provided she could get only ten thousand “likes” on her Facebook page.  The doctor told me that the only reason he had agreed to do it in the first place is because he was sure the child would never get enough responses.  He was true to his word and flew back early to save a life.

One day, in one of the shipboard bars, I told the stories of the millionaire and the doctor to a young lady.  I was pretty sure she would think I was a liar, but then she told me how her belief in people was the cause of her good fortune.  It seems a person on Facebook had bought a Powerball ticket and agreed to share the winnings with fifty random people.  She wouldn’t tell me how much she got, but it sounded like it might have been several thousands of dollars.

I guess I’m just not very lucky.  There was another passenger who had one of the latest iPad tablets.  It seems that there was some minor flooding in a warehouse where thousands of them were stored.  Even though they weren’t damaged, they couldn’t be sold as new.  They were being given away as a promotion.  Like I said, sometimes it is just a matter of luck.

I met another millionaire who became one simply by winning the Irish lottery.  All he had to do was spend a few hundred dollars to pay for taxes and processing.  The funny part was when he told me that he didn’t even remember entering the sweepstakes.

Of course, the more people I talked to, the more it seemed that everyone was much more fortunate than me.   Then I met a fellow cruiser that made his money the old fashioned way, He earned it through plain, hard work.  He started his own home business by stuffing envelopes for various countries.  He used his profits and bought some equipment and was soon processing credit card transactions for some major companies.  A few years later, he expanded his home business into the insurance claims business.

After two weeks, I didn’t think there were any other ways to make a lot of money.  Then I met a man who was in the merchandise resale business.  He went to various auction websites and bid on various items.  He would often get new computers for as little as five dollars or a big screen television for a little more.  He would then take these items and resell them on eBay or Craigs List for an astronomical profit.

Naturally, I checked on many of these profit generating plans and realized that they just wouldn’t work for me because I haven’t been lucky enough to get in on the ground floor.  If anyone has any ideas on how I can finance my next cruise, please let me know.  If you don’t have any ideas, you can just simply send me a dollar instead.  Make sure you forward this article to everyone you know.  You can also feel free to Tweet the link or post it on your Facebook time line.  When you do, make sure to emphasis the fact that they only have to donate one measly dollar to me.  For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, they will not only finance my next cruise, but they can learn the latest methods for becoming a multimillionaire.  If it works, I might not even have to build a new pyramid.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Other Stuff

Cruising Observations

May 28, 2015 Posted by Tiny

Several times I’ve written about the cruise ships I’ve been on and my observations on the use of technology, both by the cruise line and the passengers.  This time, I thought I’d take a few minutes and tell you my thoughts on how to make a cruise more relaxing and fun.

Every time we go on a cruise, someone asks me if I’m worried about a fire, a breakout of disease, food poisoning, the ship sinking, etc.  I usually respond by saying that I haven’t been that lucky.  If disaster should strike, passengers are often compensated by their monies being refunded and a discounted or free future cruise.  Of course, it’s inconvenient to be stranded out on the ocean.  It’s also inconvenient to be in a car accident, a hurricane, a burning building, etc.  I have never liked the idea of getting on an airplane even though I know that it’s probably safer than driving to the store.

People often ask me why I like to cruise.  I think the biggest reason is that when you get to your stateroom, you unpack your suitcase and put it away until your vacation has ended.  There is no need to find a hotel every night, carry the bags to the room, unpack what you need and then carry them out the next morning.  I think the only bad things about cruising is embarkation and debarkation.  With thousands of people waiting to board the ship, you need a little patience waiting in the line.  At every terminal I’ve been to, I’ve found that it is worthwhile to pull up to the unloading area and check your bags with one of the porters.  It’s well worth a tip to not have to lug your bags from the parking area to the terminal.  When getting off the ship, you have the choice of leaving your bags out the night before or carrying them off the next day.  Many people choose to carry their bags with the misconception that they will get off faster.  It just doesn’t happen and it’s a pain in the you know what to lug your suitcases down the ramp.  The cruise line is going to get you off as fast as they can.  They have to get ready for the next load of passengers and that can’t happen if you’re still on board.  The real delay when you get off the ship is going through customs.

When I retired from the Navy, my wife always wanted to go on a cruise.  I resisted her for many years.  After all, I had been on or under almost every ocean in the world at least once.  I finally let her talk me into going on a three day cruise.  After that, I was hooked.  We’ve been on a lot of cruises since then.  She always asks where I want to go.  I almost always say, I don’t care.  I just like to go.  Almost anyone you ask will tell you that the Alaska inside passage cruises are one of the best.  We’ve been twice and are planning another.  When anyone asks me which cruise ship I think is the best, it’s the same answer as which ship in the Navy is the best: the one I’m on.  Talking with other cruise passengers, I’ve found out that every cruise line and ship is either the very best or the very worst.  All I know is that we’ve cruised almost exclusively with Carnival.  We tried another line and didn’t like it.

If you look at my waistline, you can tell that I enjoy eating.  Aboard a cruise ship, there are a lot of places to eat.  Besides the main dining room, there are usually a half dozen or so assorted buffet lines, pizza places, sandwich shops, etc.  My wife and I seldom eat our meals anywhere except the dining room.  We like the idea of the waiter coming to the table, taking our order and bringing us the food.  Every cruise I’ve been on I’ve met people that never went to the dining room.  I think they are missing out on better food.  Of course that’s a matter of opinion, but it’s my blog so my opinion is the one that counts.  I recommend that you check them all and then go where you like.  Every ship I’ve been on has had great food.  There are also a few premium restaurants where you can pay extra.  I’m pretty cheap and haven’t tried them.  One thing I’ve never understood is that on the last day of the cruise, some people stuff their carry bags with fruit, pastries, etc.  Not only is it illegal (U. S. Customs will fine you if they catch you), I don’t know why you would want food that is already getting old.

When you first get aboard the ship, you soon find out how large it is.  With passengers and crew, there are several thousand people on board, the size of a small city.  It isn’t too hard to get confused as to where exactly you are.  I’m always surprised at how people ask each other how to get somewhere.  The smart thing to do is to ask a crew member, not someone who is probably just as lost as you.  It won’t take long before you learn how to find the three most important places: your stateroom, the places to eat and a comfortable chair.

I can’t believe the number of people that have told me they got bored on a cruise ship.  Each day the Cruise Director publishes a list of the days activities.  There are any number of activities like trivia, bean bag tosses, card games, chess and checkers, bingo etc.  The ship’s casino is more than willing to take your money.  Nightly entertainment includes Las Vegas style stage shows, comedians, singers, different band, etc.  There is even entertainment in the dining room at dinner time.  One of my personal favorite things to do is just find a comfortable chair and watch the people.

Have fun on your cruise.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Other Stuff

My Thoughts on the Sony Data Hack

December 12, 2014 Posted by Tiny

If you read a newspaper, watch the television, surf the internet or probably even have a casual conversation on the street, you’ve probably heard someone’s opinion about the Sony data breach.  I’ve got my own impression.  Want to hear it?

HO HUM!  What’s new?  I’m not surprised.

In October of 2012, I wrote an article titled “Companies I Dislike a Lot“.  One of the companies I mentioned was Sony.  I haven’t changed my mind since then.  With the exception of watching Jeopardy and a few Sony movies, I haven’t put any of my money into their coffers.

This isn’t Sony’s first data problem.  In 2009, George Hotz (the first person to jailbreak the iPhone) announced that he was going to hack the PlayStation 3.  The following year he did so.  Sony retaliated by suing him.  They went so far as to obtain the IP addresses of everyone that visited Hotz’s website.

In response, the hacker group Anonymous sent this warning to Sony:

“Your corrupt business practices are indicative of a corporate philosophy that would deny consumers the right to use products they have paid for and rightfully own, in the manner of their choosing. Perhaps you should alert your customers to the fact that they are apparently only renting your products? In light of this assault on both rights and free expression, Anonymous, the notoriously handsome rulers of the internet, would like to inform you that you have only been ‘renting’ your web domains. Having trodden upon Anonymous’ rights, you must now be trodden on.”

About two weeks later, Anonymous launched an attack on the PlayStation Network.  They shut the network down for 23 days and obtained the personal details of about 77 million PlayStation customers.  Even with advanced warning, Sony didn’t protect their customers.  Doesn’t that seem like a company that doesn’t care?

In the next several months, there were many attacks on Sony servers.  In June of 2011, the hacker group LulzSec broke in to the Sony Pictures servers and obtained private information including passwords, email addresses, home addresses, dates of birth, etc. of over one million customers.  Why did they do it?  This was their statement.

“Our goal here is not to come across as master hackers, hence what we’re about to reveal: SonyPictures.com was owned by a very simple SQL injection, one of the most primitive and common vulnerabilities, as we should all know by now. From a single injection, we accessed EVERYTHING. Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks?“

The hackers said that all of the extremely sensitive data was easy to find and stored in plain text.  Does this sound familiar?  Compare it with the recent hack.  I’ll repeat myself, “HO HUM!  What’s new?  I’m not surprised.”

Why does Sony keep getting hacked?  I think it is for two reasons.  Sony doesn’t care about their customers.  Starting with the DRM rootkit, they have made decisions that are both legally and morally wrong.  Many of these customers are also hackers.  They get upset and retaliate.

Secondly, Sony makes it easy for hackers to hack them.  They obviously have not learned any lessons from previous attacks.  They don’t seem to have done much to fix their security problems.

When I think about the latest Sony hack, my first thought is, “Great.  I still have not forgiven them for putting a root kit on my computers.”  I do feel sorry for all of the Sony employees whose data is readily available for downloading.  They did no wrong.  Too bad that corporate thinks as little of their workers as they do of their customers.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Other Stuff

OK Google

November 13, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

OK Google. What happens if I get laryngitis and can’t say OK Google?  Answer: Google gives you information on how to treat your voice loss.

OK Google is tightly integrated with Google Now, Android’s personal assistant program.  They have almost become synonymous.  In the next year or so, I think there will only be one program combining both.

In the last couple of years OK Google has become an excellent tool for making your mobile Android device easier to use.  Without tapping anything on your phone, you can use your voice to make a phone call, send a text message or compose an e-mail.  I often use it to write these articles for the club newsletter.  I hardly ever key in a Google search anymore.  It is just so much easier to speak my search phrase.

Almost all Android devices come with Google Now installed. For those that do not, the Google app is available from the Play Store.  It works by setting up “cards” on your device to assist you with your personal life.

Google voice searching was first introduced in 2008 in Google Maps.  It has constantly been improved over the years.  Today it is excellent for both searching and phone commands.  Examples of searching commands are:

Where was [President Obama] born?
Define [computer].
Who is the governor of [Louisiana]?
How old is [Bobby Jindal]?
Show me pictures of [the White House].
What’s the weather like? What’s the weather in [New Orleans] [this weekend]?
What’s [182 yards] in [miles]?
What is [12 ounces] in [liters]?
What’s [135] divided by [71]?

Some examples of commands are:

Take a picture (“Take a photo” also works)
Record a video
Call John Doe [mobile]
What’s my schedule?
Send email to [Tiny], subject [Darkside], message [That was a great article in the November newsletter.]
Text [Tiny] [I just sent you an email.]
Open Evernote

Of course, these are only a few of the things that Google will recognize.  If you do a web search you can find complete lists.  There are also a lot of fun “Easter Eggs”.  On of my favorites is “Scotty, beam me up.”  If you’re not a Star Trek fan, I’ll tell you that Google responds with a classic Engineer Scott reply, “I canna do it Captain.  I do not have the power.”

This short article has only given an overview of the powerfulness of OK Google and Google Now.  Click here for Google’s help page on setting up OK Google on your Android.  Google also has a help page on OK Google and voice search.  If it is not already installed, the Google Now app is available in the Play Store.

Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Other Stuff

Halloween Pranks

October 16, 2014 Posted by Tiny

Halloween Pranks
By Tiny Ruisch

October is my favorite month of the year.  I’ve always enjoyed Halloween.  I guess it is probably because you can usually get away with a harmless prank or two.  I personally would never flip over an outhouse, unhinge a gate or let the air out of anyone’s car tires.

In this modern age, Halloween pranks almost beg to be played on someones computer.  Almost every one uses a laser mouse these days.  They can be easily disabled with a small piece of clear tape on the sensor.  Many people won’t notice and will have a hard time figuring out why all of a sudden their mouse isn’t working.  You can confuse them even more by opening mouse properties in the control panel.  Changing the mouse speed to the slowest setting will make any mouse activities an ordeal.

Another prank that has been around forever can still confuse even a veteran computer user.  Simply take a screen shot of your victim’s computer.  Then hide all of the desktop icons and replace their wallpaper with the screen shot.  Sit back and watch them click on icons that won’t load a program.

Another quick prank is to open Google’s home page in a browser.  Click on preferences and change the default language.  You’d be surprised at how many people this trick will fool.

Many users don’t know about sticky keys.  Sticky keys changes how the Ctrl, Alt, Shift and Windows Key function.  Keys are serialized instead of operating together.  For instance, instead of typing “Shift – a” to capitalize, you would have to type “Shift”, release the key and then type “a”.  This key change will drive an unsuspecting victim crazy.  Sticky keys are enabled by pressing the “Shift” key five times in quick succession.

An evil prank that you should only play on someone that won’t beat you up is to cause their computer to shut down.  Right click on one of the icons on your victims desk top.  Type the following in the target box: %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 100 -c “Your Message Here”.  Your Message Here can be replaced with whatever message you like.  I use something like “That does not compute so I am shutting down” or “I’m sleepy.  I think I’ll shut down and rest now.”

Whenever the victim double clicks on that shortcut, their program will not start.  Instead, your message will display for 100 seconds (unless you change the number in the target box.)  Then the computer will shut down.

These Halloween computer pranks are all designed for the Windows operating system.  Although they are non-destructive, you run the risk of aggravating the user and making him or her possibly want to harm you.  Use them at your own risk.

It would be nice if you fix their computer for them afterword, but who am I to tell you what to do?

My mind is empty again. Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Other Stuff
« Older Entries